


Won With Sacrifice

by ShaneVansen



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: A/A, Angst, Drama, F/M, Romance, UST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-03-07
Updated: 2010-03-07
Packaged: 2017-10-07 19:19:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/68341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShaneVansen/pseuds/ShaneVansen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two months at the hands of the Asurans and nine months spent living in fear of them finding her again have changed her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Won With Sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> Written for driftingatdusk for LJ's swficathon. Prompts as follows:  
> * Story Request 1: Set season four, angsty but hopeful, no Sam!bashing  
> * Story Request 2: Elizabeth off-world, established relationship  
> for both: Sam/Jack and Ronon/Teyla pairings are okay but optional
> 
> I think I scored 4.5/5 for the prompts and 0.5/2 for the optional pairings. I hope you like it, Jo!
> 
> Please be aware: Fic assumes (mostly) canon through most of BAMSR, but ignores the last ten seconds or so of that ep and takes a right turn from there. Also, I've only seen six episodes of S4 so I apologize if I made any glaring and contradictory errors.
> 
> Sorry for the lack of team!moments. The muse wants to make this fic about twice as long as it is, but I ran out of time.
> 
> Hugely big thanks to QuietlyBemused, even if she is using information unethically gained through her betaing to hold over my head for years and years to come. :p~
> 
> Originally posted to LJ January 2008.

_Another day, another planet_, John thinks to himself cynically as he, Rodney, and Ronon step through the Stargate onto M7X 233, and then chastises himself for the thought. He's not really that blasé about his job, but some days it's harder than others to get motivated about going off-world. For four months each trip, each mission, held the possibility of finding her, but that hope has been ripped from him now, and even seven months later he's finding it difficult to simply enjoy the recon and meeting new people the way he used to. It almost feels like a betrayal, somehow.

There's a village just on the edge of the horizon, and the trio starts toward it without much conversation. A little more than halfway to their destination they're met by a small group of people, dressed in the colourless clothing typical of the Pegasus galaxy and looking wary but not frightened. They aren't carrying any obvious weapons, but John catches the telltale sagging on one side of each of their waistbands which suggests something heavy, perhaps knives, are hidden just out of sight.

"Hello," John greets their welcoming party, resting his hands in a deceptively casual manner over his own weapon. To his left, he senses Ronon readying himself, just in case.

One of the men, a little shorter and a little rounder than the others, steps forward from the group. He sounds friendly enough as he says, "Greetings, and welcome to Allesia. I am Kimeht. You are visiting from beyond the Portal?"

"We are," Rodney pipes up from John's right. "We're explorers. I'm Rodney McKay, and that's Colonel Sheppard, and that's Ronon. Ignore him; he always looks that angry."

Before he's finished speaking the three men who are standing slightly back start whispering excitedly to each other. John's hands twitch closer to the trigger of his weapon as Kimeht turns back to ask the other something, then faces them once more. "You are from the city of Atlantis?"

John's eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline as he takes a small step backwards. Ronon takes one forward. "How do you know that?"

"You must come with us," Kimeht declares without answering. "You must come back with us to our village. There is someone who wishes to speak with you." He must understand the look that John shares with his teammates because he hastens to add, "Please, we mean you no harm. We were told that one day you might visit us, and that if it were to come to pass then there is someone who wants to meet with you."

"Who?"

Kimeht shakes his head. "I cannot say; we have sworn not to share her name, nor anything else about her. But I do not believe she wishes you harm."

John's first thought is that it's a Wraith queen, but leaving cryptic messages with villagers is hardly standard operating procedure for the Wraith. His second thought is, strangely, of Larrin, but she claims to know where Atlantis is so she has no need to contact him in such a roundabout manner. He can only assume that it's someone they've run across sometime in the past five years, but he can't think of who would possibly go to such lengths to find them, or whether this person is friend or foe.

He exchanges a glance with Ronon, who shrugs. "Whoever she is, she knows about Atlantis," he points out. "Might be worth it to see who it is."

There's no arguing with that point. He turns back to Kimeht. "Lead the way."

**

"How long have we been here?"

John glowers at Rodney, who's shifting restlessly on the other side of the table, where he sits next to Ronon. "Five minutes longer than the last time you asked. And what's wrong with your watch?"

They've been sitting in this room for two hours now with nothing to do. Kimeht stayed with them for the first half-hour, but he refused to answer any of their questions about this mysterious woman who wants to talk with them so much. He brought them water and food, and no one has been in to see them since. John's about ready to pack it in; either these Allesians can't find the woman, or this is all some sort of elaborate prank – though to what end, he can't even hazard a guess.

The door opens behind him. Before John can turn to see who it is, Rodney's jaw drops in an expression of shock that would be laughable if Ronon hadn't been on his feet with his weapon drawn in less than a second. John whips around so fast he feels something in his back pop, and then comes to a dead stop as he gets a look at the woman standing in the doorway.

"Hello, John."

"_Elizabeth._"

**

The two of them end up walking in the fields just outside the Allesian village, and John is starkly reminded of seven months ago, walking with her Replicated doppelganger. He remembers learning of her death, and he has to catch his breath at the pain and guilt that is as strong now as it was then. Having her here, beside him, somehow makes it worse. To know now, that she was out there all this time when he'd thought, when they'd all thought.... "We thought you were dead."

Elizabeth nods, her arms wrapped across her stomach. "That's what Oberoth told all of his followers. I didn't—" She pauses for a second and pulls in a deep breath before continuing. The shaking of her voice is barely perceptible, but he hears it. "I didn't break as quickly as he thought I would. There's a faction of the Asurans who believe that humans are the key to ascension, and the more I was able to resist the more they began to question what he was doing. After a few weeks he isolated me and told the others I had died."

She looks so small as she walks beside him. He wants to reach over and take her hand. He doesn't. "How did you escape?"

"One of Oberoth's inner circle was a sympathizer with those who were questioning his actions. He managed to block the others long enough to help me escape." She lets out a breath. "Oberoth found out. He didn't make it."

They walk in silence for a while. Elizabeth looks like she needs some time to regroup, and he's still trying to come to terms with the fact that this is really _Elizabeth_. Some part of him has always hoped that the Replicator version they'd met was wrong when she told them of her predecessor's death, but he's never truly _believed_ it. It had been a coping mechanism more than anything. He's almost afraid that this is too-vivid dream.

There's more that he has to know. "Where have you been?" _Why didn't you come home?_

"I've been staying with a people called the Rajhani. I do odd jobs, help out where I can. Thanks to the nanites in my body my senses are heightened and I heal a lot faster than you do, so that gives me a bit of an advantage." As if hearing his unspoken question, she reaches out and tentatively touches his shoulder. "I tried to contact you, John. I did. But I don't know where Atlantis is now, and the Alpha and Beta sites have been abandoned. I didn't have another way of finding you without leading the Asurans straight to Atlantis."

He presses his hand over hers before she can pull away. "The Asurans are gone," he says, almost giddily.

She stops dead, forcing him to halt as well. "What do you mean?"

"The Asurans are gone," he repeats, gripping her hand a little tighter. "About six months ago, Rodney figured out a way to defeat them. I don't really understand the details, but they're pretty much just chunks of metal now."

To him, it looks like Elizabeth has stopped breathing. She weaves on her feet a bit, and John takes a quick step forward. "Are you okay?" She doesn't respond, and his voice rises with worry. "Elizabeth? Are you all right?"

She blinks, shaking herself a little. "Yes. Yes, it's just—" She shakes her head without finishing her thought, but John thinks he gets it.

"Sheppard?"

John thumbs his radio. "What is it, Ronon?"

"We're overdue. Carter's gonna be sending a search team if we don't get back soon."

He glances at his watch as he answers. "Elizabeth and I are headed back now. We'll meet you at the west edge of the village in five minutes." At her curious look, he explains, "We're late, and we haven't reported in to Carter. We need to get back to Atlantis before she sends someone after us."

She falls into step beside him as they head for the village. "Carter?"

"I guess I need to catch you up on some things before we get home."

**

They radioed ahead to let Carter know what to expect, so when they step through the 'gate the room is full of armed military personnel who look more amazed than alarmed. Carter is standing among them, and she steps forward to greet them. "Dr. Weir."

John turns slightly, and Elizabeth moves from where she's standing just behind him to face the crowd. "Colonel Carter."

The colonel smiles and the tension in the room dissipates. "Welcome back to Atlantis, Doctor. I'm sure you understand that I have to send you to the infirmary before we do anything else?"

Elizabeth dips her head. "Of course, Colonel."

With Carter's okay and an order to report for debriefing immediately after, John accompanies Elizabeth to the infirmary. The entire way there, people stop in their tracks and stare, and for all that she's matured in the past year, Jennifer Keller drops her data pad as they enter. "Dr. Weir?"

Though she's starting to look a little worn, Elizabeth manages a smile. "Hi, Jennifer."

"But you're—We thought you—"

"Reports of my death were greatly exaggerated," she says dryly, and Keller blinks and snaps her mouth closed.

"Apparently so." She starts to grin.

"Colonel Carter wants you to check her out," John interrupts. Keller looks at him and he raises an eyebrow, trying to impart further orders without actually saying them: _Make sure she's her and that she doesn't pose a threat_. He wants to believe that this really is Elizabeth and not another Asuran clone, that the nanites in her head aren't going to suddenly take over and try to destroy them, but the safety of the city trumps anything he might want. "Call Radek if you need him."

He turns to Elizabeth, and his voice softens in spite of himself. "I have to get to the debriefing. I'll come see you as soon as I can, okay?" He can't help but reach over and touch her arm; she's there and solid and she's supposed to be dead. Of all the weird and crazy things that have happened in the past five years this is nowhere near the strangest, but it's definitely one of the most incredible.

She grasps his hand just as he pulls away and holds it for a second before letting go. "I'll be here," she says, and he leaves feeling reassured.

**

Though she's cleared by Keller and both Rodney and Radek swear that her nanites don't pose a threat, Elizabeth is kept in quarantine for over a week while Carter argues with Earth over her status. That she's back from the dead doesn't prove to be much an obstacle; in the eleven years that the Stargate Program has been active, so many people have died and come back that there's standard paperwork for dealing with it, colloquially known as the Daniel Jackson Form. The problem lies in the fact that she has nanites in her brain, and no matter what they're told, the IOA refuses to believe that Elizabeth isn't a danger. Half the committee wants to lock her up, while the other half wants to send her to Area 51 for "study."

For the week she's stuck in the sterile quarantine room, John splits his time between visiting Elizabeth and pestering Carter to do more. It's unfair, he admits, because she's doing everything she can to get Elizabeth released, but she's a convenient outlet.

Nine days after they found Elizabeth – _after she found us_, John reminds himself – Carter asks him to meet with her and Elizabeth.

"I've reached a compromise with the IOA, and there's good news and bad news," she tells the two of them. "The good news is that they've agreed that Dr. Weir can be released and, barring any extenuating circumstances, they won't harass her once she's been fully debriefed by the committee."

John assumes that 'harass' is Carter's choice of words, and not the IOA's. "And the bad news?" Elizabeth asks, though she seems considerably cheered by the knowledge that she's being let out of the small room.

"The information you're allowed to access will be restricted, and," here she pauses to draw a breath, "you will not be allowed to return to Earth."

There's silence for several moments as they digest the news. Eventually, it's Elizabeth who speaks. "Well," she starts, and then shrugs. "That's better than I was expecting, actually." Then her gaze shifts to Carter. "Assuming you don't mind me staying, Colonel?"

"Of course not. You're welcome to stay here as long as I have any say in the matter, Dr. Weir."

"Elizabeth," she corrects, and Carter smiles.

"Sam," she says in return, and John glances from one woman to the other with the distinct feeling that he just might be in for a world of trouble.

**

He accompanies her back to her quarters, the same room she used before everything turned upside down and she disappeared for a year. She moves immediately to the window overlooking the city. John follows more slowly.

He distinctly remembers the last three times he was in this room with surprising clarity. The last time was seven months ago, after the Replicator clone told them Elizabeth was dead. John had been the one to clean out her room, boxing up all of her belongings to send back to Earth. He'd gone to visit her mother just days later.

The other two occasions were far more pleasant, though painful to remember in their own way. Twice, he and Elizabeth had slept together.

They hadn't meant for it to happen. The first time had been the night before Carson's funeral, when he'd shown up at her door well after midnight, angry and lost. Three days later he returned from Earth, only to find that Elizabeth hadn't slept the entire time he was gone. He took her back to her room with nothing but good intentions, but he'd been two steps from broken after delivering his friend's body to his mother and Elizabeth had looked at him like he could fix everything. It had been awkward for a few weeks, but they'd been working through it and John thinks maybe they'd been just on the edge of something more when everything had shattered around them.

"We kept a few things here but most of your stuff was taken back to Earth." He studiously pushes back the memories of more than a year ago. "Anything not from Atlantis or somewhere off-world was given to your mom."

Elizabeth nods, still looking out the window. "Did you talk to her?" she asks softly.

"Yeah. I was the one who told her that you were, y'know...." That's something that never gets easier, no matter how many times he has to deliver the message. He swore long ago that the day he can tell a family their loved one isn't coming home without feeling something, will be the day he resigns.

She nods, closing her eyes for a moment. "I'm sorry you had to do that, but I'm glad it was you."

John's not really sure how to take that. "We could talk to the IOA, see if we can get her clearance to know you're okay."

"No." She doesn't hesitate over her answer, but he hears the reluctance. "No, it's better this way. It wouldn't be fair to tell her after all this time that I'm still alive but that she can't see me." She lifts a hand, touching it gently to the window. "As far as Earth is concerned, I can stay dead."

He wants to touch her, but this room is too full of memories and he doesn't trust himself just now. Instead, he stands silently half a room away until it gets to be too much for him and he has to say _something_. "You hungry?" It's quite possibly the stupidest question he's ever asked her, but he needs the step back.

She gives him a half-smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "No, I'm okay. You go ahead, though."

"You sure?" Elizabeth just nods. "Call me if you need anything, okay?"

"I will," she tells him, but he can tell that her mind's already somewhere else. Without another word he heads for the exit, catching a quiet, "Thank you, John," just as the door closes behind him.

**

He doesn't get to see Elizabeth much over the next few weeks; even when he's not off-world, she's usually tied up in meetings with the IOA. Luckily, one of the people sent to debrief her is Woolsey. Though in John's opinion the man is too indecisive, he seems to have developed a respect for Elizabeth that stands in direct contrast to the suspicion the others show her.

When she's not having to defend herself, he often finds Elizabeth in the mess hall or one of the common rooms with Teyla, who has limited her off-world activity to care for her infant son. She's joined the team for a few missions the past month, but knowing Teyla, John expects to see her back in the field full time once Kanan is sleeping through the night and she doesn't look so exhausted all the time. He sometimes invites himself to stay if it's just the two women, but he's quickly learned that if Carter's there too, he's much safer staying far, far away.

After the IOA finally leaves, Carter assigns Elizabeth to trolling through the Atlantian database. Their fifth year into the expedition and they've still barely cracked the surface, but they're hoping that her knowledge of the Ancient language and knack for understanding their way of thinking will be an advantage. Every once in a while John's team brings something back, and Rodney gets to bring her in for help translating.

"I'm bored," she confesses to him late one night, as they sit in the mess hall together drinking coffee. It's taking time, but they're slowly finding their way back to the easy friendship they once had. Nearly two months at the hands of the Asurans and nine months spent living in fear of them finding her again have changed her, and he's not quite the same person he was a year ago either.

"It's interesting work," she continues, staring into her mug as she swirls her coffee, "but I'm not used to doing the same thing every day anymore. When I was running Atlantis there were always meetings to oversee or emergencies every week. When I was living with the Rajhani I was assigned a lot of different jobs, and it was always physical work. Sitting at a computer terminal all day, every day...." She trails off and he doesn't say anything. She smiles wanly. "I guess I've become that adventurer Simon accused me of being, huh?"

"Have you talked to Carter?" he asks, taking a sip of his coffee and making a face as the lukewarm liquid hits his tongue. Elizabeth laughs at him and he glares back half-heartedly. "Maybe she can find something else for you to do."

Elizabeth shakes her head. "Sam's already done more for me than I have any right to expect. I can't ask for more because I happen to be bored."

"It can't hurt to ask," he points out.

She makes a non-committal noise in response. When she changes the subject John lets her, but there's an idea forming in the back of his mind and he makes a mental note to visit Carter in the morning.

**

"You want _what_?"

John doesn't flinch in the face of the colonel's incredulity. "I want Elizabeth on my team."

Carter drops into her chair, her eyes never leaving his face. "She's a civilian—"

"So are McKay and Teyla. Depending how you look at it, so is Ronon."

"—who has no training—"

"She knows self-defense."

"—has never been on an off-world mission—"

"She's been on three, and she lived on another planet for nine months."

"—and has never fired a weapon."

"I'll train her."

They continue to stare at each other, and John figures it can't hurt to throw another argument in his favour into the discussion. "How many times has my team ended up in trouble because we said or did something we shouldn't have? Elizabeth's got a way with words and she knows what to do in first contact situations. We could use her out there."

Carter just looks at him. Then she sighs, and John knows he's won. "She has to meet all the minimum standards set for off-world travel: health, fitness, hand-to-hand, and weapons proficiency. I reserve the right to choose the types of missions your team takes until I know she won't be putting herself or any of you in danger."

"You got it." John adds a hurried "Thanks!" and moves for the door before she can change her mind.

**

"You ready for lunch?"

"Give me five minutes?" Elizabeth glances up, then narrows her eyes when she sees the grin he can't wipe off his face. "Okay, what did you do?"

He adopts his most innocent expression. "I don't know what you mean." She rolls her eyes and he bounces on his feet. "Fine," he relents. "There's something. Finish whatever you're doing and I'll tell you over lunch."

She narrows her eyes suspiciously but turns back to her work. John has to laugh when she lasts less than a minute before shutting down her laptop and turning in his direction. "Tell me," she demands.

"Don't you want lunch?"

"John!"

He bounces again. "You're joining my team. Carter okayed it an hour ago."

It's not often he can render Elizabeth speechless, and he thinks this may be the first time it's been for a good reason and not because he or Rodney has found a new way to get into trouble without even leaving the city. She just gapes at him for several moments, then seems to find her voice. "You're serious."

"Yup."

"But—" He can practically see the questions racing through her mind. Eventually she settles on, "_Why?_"

"You're bored. We could use someone to talk the natives out of trying to kill us. This seemed like the obvious solution." He says it like it's the most logical thing in the world. He figures the effect is ruined by the way he still can't keep the grin off his face.

She just stands there, and then the next thing John knows he's got an armful of Elizabeth. "Thank you," she murmurs in his ear.

He wraps his arms around her slowly, the feel of her more familiar than he would have expected after so long. He closes his eyes and breathes her in. It's with more than a little reluctance that he lets her go when she pulls back.

"C'mon," he says, hoping his voice doesn't sound as shaky to her as it does to him. "Let's get some lunch and I'll fill you in on the details."

**

The only obstacle to Elizabeth joining his team turns into their first major argument since her return.

She passes the health and fitness requirements with ease, and with the nanites increasing her reflexes as well as her strength, she gives him a run for his money when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. The problem comes when he tries to teach her how to fire a gun: she flat-out refuses to use a weapon that could take someone's life.

They spend four days arguing about it, John using every reason to think of to convince her that she needs to be able to protect herself and Elizabeth shooting down every single one of them. He's about ready to give up on her ever going off-world when Ronon provides an unexpected solution.

They're in the mess hall fighting yet again when Ronon walks up to their table and plunks a Satedan weapon down on the table between them. "There are two settings," he reminds Elizabeth, ignoring John altogether. "You can leave it on stun and anyone you shoot will wake up with a hell of a headache, but it won't kill and you won't be putting the rest of us at risk by refusing to carry a weapon."

Elizabeth looks a little stunned. "Ronon," she starts, and then shakes her head. "Thank you."

He nods, and disappears into the crowd. John looks from the weapon to Elizabeth. "So. Satedan Weaponry 101, fourteen hundred hours?"

**

Their first three missions off-world are simple, the first two checking in with allies and the third doing recon on an uninhabited planet. It takes a while for John to get used to seeing Elizabeth decked out in off-world gear and walking alongside the rest of his team, but by the time they set out on their fourth mission it's almost become a familiar sight.

It's Elizabeth who first notices something's not right. John's on point, Elizabeth and Rodney talking behind him and Ronon bringing up the rear. He's not really paying attention to their conversation but he notices when it stops, and when he turns to look he finds that Elizabeth has stopped walking and is staring at something to their left. He glances over but sees nothing that seems worth the attention she's devoting. "What is it?" he asks, keeping his voice low out of habit.

She gives him a tiny shake of her head. "I don't know," she says, not looking away. "I thought I heard something."

By this time Ronon and Rodney have also stopped, and they all stand silently as they strain to hear. John exchanges a glance with Ronon, who starts to shake his head but then stiffens suddenly. He points toward a thick grouping of trees and John reaches for his P-90 even as an arrow pierces the ground just steps from where they stand. "Fall back!" he shouts, and they scramble for the meagre protection offered by low-lying bushes behind them.

Repeated demands for their attackers to identify themselves and assurances that they're explorers and not there to hurt anyone go unanswered. John gives the order to head for the 'gate, and lays down cover fire as the others make a break for it. He fires one last round at the base of the trees where the unknown people are hiding and takes off after his team.

He and Ronon trade off bringing up the rear as they head for the Stargate as quickly as possible. Rodney's dialling when Elizabeth suddenly whips around and squeezes off a single shot. John glances over his shoulder in time to see a man armed with a bow and arrow crumpling to the ground, unconscious.

The 'gate swooshes open and John sees that his team is safely through before he follows, shouting for the 'gate to be shut down as he rematerializes on Atlantis. The shield flares into place immediately, and then it's suddenly much quieter as both it and the event horizon deactivate.

"Everyone okay?" Carter asks as she jogs down the stairs.

"We're fine. Just a few arrows; nothing to worry about."

The colonel gives him a look before sending them to the infirmary to be checked out. "Debriefing, 0800 tomorrow," she reminds him.

Elizabeth's gone by the time he's let go, and though he searches all of her favourite spots and every other place he can think of, he can't find her. He's a little worried – this is the first time she's been directly involved in any kind of combat situation – but he knows her well enough to understand that if it's taking this much effort to find her, then she really does want to be left alone. He decides to call it a night and seek her out in the morning, whether she likes it or not. Experience has taught him that some time alone after combat is normal, but too much of it could lead to self doubt and second guessing.

He's settled in bed reading _War and Peace_ – page 317 – when there's a knock at his door. "Come in," he calls, fairly certain who he'll find.

As he thought, it's Elizabeth hovering in his doorway. "Hi," she says, making no move to enter. "Do you have a minute?"

"Sure." He waves her in, adding, "That was a nice shot today." He knows the mission is the reason she's here, so he figures he might as well start.

He gets a half-hearted smile in response. "Thanks," she murmurs, stepping far enough into the room that the door swishes closed behind her. Her eyes dart around his room for a moment before landing on him. "I owe you an apology."

Now this, he wasn't expecting. "You do?"

"Yes." Elizabeth pulls his desk chair over to sit across from him, sitting and leaning forward. "You were right to insist that I carry a weapon off-world. If I hadn't been armed today, you, Rodney, and Ronon would have had to cover me in addition to yourselves, and we wouldn't have reached the Stargate as quickly as we did." One eyebrow arches and he catches the glint in her eyes as she adds, "And you probably would've been shot in the back by an arrow."

He chuckles. "Not a very dignified end," he agrees. He sobers as he addresses her real concern. "Apology accepted." John hesitates before he continues; for all their late-night conversations over coffee, they've never really talked about her absence and what he's about to say skirts uncomfortably close to that topic. "I know it's hard for you, not being in charge and being able to make the decisions, but you have to trust me when it comes to the tactical stuff, especially when we're in the field."

Elizabeth starts shaking her head halfway through his mini lecture. "I trust you, John. Of course I do. That's part of the reason I felt I didn't need a gun."

His face screws up in confusion. "You're gonna have to explain that one."

She shrugs. "I know that you'd never let anything happen to me so I felt safe not carrying a weapon. I just didn't fully understand until today that by having to look after me, others would be in more danger."

For several seconds, all he can do is stare at her. With a handful of words she's just shown more trust in him than anyone he's ever known; how can she be so matter of fact, like there's nothing spectacular about what she's said?

"Elizabeth," he says, very deliberately, "I'm going to kiss you now."

She gapes at him. "Excuse me?"

"You can't say something like that and then expect me not to kiss you." He stands up and takes the few steps to where she's sitting frozen on the chair. "So unless you tell me to stop," he takes her hands and pulls her to her feet, "I'm going to kiss you." He pauses, his lips a hair's breadth from hers. "You're not telling me to stop."

"No," she breathes, tilting her face up, her eyes sliding closed, "I'm not."

**

"Colonel." Carter looks up from her laptop to look at them, and John clears his throat. "We need to talk to you."

He can already feel his face turning red, and Carter looks suspicious as she waves at him and Elizabeth to sit. "I'm not going to like this, am I?" she asks rhetorically.

"Probably not," Elizabeth agrees.

Carter's observant, and though he's by no means obvious he's not exactly subtle when he brushes his hand over Elizabeth's arm and lower back before they're seated. Her eyes narrow, and she swivels her chair so that she's facing the shelf rather than the two of them. Figuring silence is the best option for the moment, John watches Carter's gaze land on one of her photos, and she contemplates it for a moment before saying, "I'm not asking."

"Huh?" he questions, and gets an elbow in the ribs from Elizabeth.

"Don't ask, don't tell," Carter elaborates, "and I'm not asking."

It only takes him a second to understand. Naturally, Elizabeth still gets it before he does. "Are you sure, Sam?"

She turns to face them. "As long as it doesn't interfere with anything, then I don't want to know. I can't promise what the IOA will do if they get wind of this, though."

"No interference," John promises. Hell, he spent more than three years behaving himself around Elizabeth; how hard could it be to keep it up now that he actually gets to be with her? "And if they find out, we'll take full responsibility with the IOA." They all know that that doesn't mean much, but Carter's showing her faith in them and this is the only way he can think of to acknowledge it.

She nods a dismissal, and both he and Elizabeth stand. As they reach the door, John pauses and turns back to Carter. "Thank you, Colonel."

"For what?" Her eyes are back on the photograph on her shelf, and John follows her gaze to a picture of her standing on a wooden dock next to Colonel O'Neill, who's holding a fishing pole. "I haven't done anything." She glances over at him, then at Elizabeth, standing by his side.

He nods his understanding and they leave silently, his hand resting briefly against Elizabeth's lower back as they head toward the mess hall for breakfast.

_\--end--_


End file.
